Fish With Soubise and Glazed Carrots and Turnips

I don’t know what possessed me to make soubise (braised rice and onions). I don’t particularly care for this sort of thing. It turned out beautifully, and with a bit of planning required very little effort (other than slicing 2 lbs. on onions). It was a nice accompaniment to the broiled fish and glazed carrots and turnips. Both the soubise and carrot/turnip recipe are from Mastering the Art Of French Cooking, which I seem to be returning to over and over of late. This was about as excited as I’ve seen my typically indifferent to food two year old over a dinner. If only photographs could capture the smell of onions and rice cooking in butter.

For The Soubise:

½ cup rice
4 quarts rapidly boiling water
1 ½ tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons butter
2 lbs (6-7 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Pre heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Drop the rice in boiling water for exactly five minutes. Drain immediately.

Place butter in a three quart casserole dish in the oven. When foamy, add onions and rice. Coat well and cover. Cook about 1 hour or until soft. The rice and onions should be very tender and have a yellow appearance.

Just before serving, add the cheese and cream and then the butter. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

I made the first part ahead and re-heated it before adding the cream, butter and cheese.


For the Carrots and Turnips:

1 ½ lbs. carrots, peeled, quartered and cut into 2 inch lengths
3-4 large turnips, matchsticked
1 ½ cups brown stock
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of pepper
6 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Boil slowly in a covered saucepan for 30 minutes or until the stock has reduced to a syrupy glaze.

*The recipe did not call for turnips, though I had them on hand and was eager to use them. Interestingly, both my husband and son claim these were the best vegetables they’d ever had. In my son’s words;
“Those are tasty carrots mama.”

*Also pictured-broiled fish with butter and lemon pepper.